Statue appeal for City legend reaches milestone

AN APPEAL to raise enough money to build a statue outside the Cardiff City Stadium has reached its halfway point - but fans are still being urged to “dig deep to make this tribute become a reality”. Cardiff City fans have so far raised a landmark total of £45,000, meaning they can now appeal for a £15,000 grant, promised to them by Cardiff Council. The statue will commemorate former player Fred Keenor, who helped Cardiff City to win their first and only side to win to FA Cup, taking the trophy away from England for the only time in its history. Keenor was captain of that 1926/27 side which defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the final, and despite picking up a leg injury in the First World War, the Welshman returned to lift the trophy under the famous Twin Towers at Wembley Stadium. The campaign – which was first launched in April 2010 – was originally set up by the Cardiff City Supporters Club, which is run by lifelong Cardiff City supporter Vince Alm, 49. Alm told of how Keenor was a club legend and how erecting a statue is the least the club can do to honour him. “Some may think ‘Oh, a statue of a footballer, why should I pay towards that?’ but he was more than just that. He was a true inspiration”. Alm is not alone with these thoughts, Paul Stephenson, 33, who has been a Bluebirds season ticket holder for 12 years, said: “Obviously it will make this place more of a home, as well as paying tribute to a Cardiff legend , and that is exactly what he was – a legend! “It’s easy to forget about people like him, it was a long time ago, but what he achieved for the club deserves recognition. “I agree that we should continue to raise money, and in fact I urge those who have yet to donate, to dig deep to make this tribute a reality”. On the field, Cardiff City this week reached another milestone in the clubs history, reaching Wembley for the fourth time in four years. It’s an incredible feat for the club, and something that Funds Project Manager, David Craig, believes the club can make the most of, in conjunction with the club. “We have raised £45,000, this allows us to apply for funding from Cardiff Council, but we still need more. “Even with this donation we still need to raise a lot more, so it’s important to raise awareness and we are taking steps to achieve that “We will be asking fans to donate £1 towards the fund when purchasing their Wembley tickets, we really want this statue. It will be great for the club, and something all fans are keen on achieving.” Craig continued, telling of how those in charge of the fund are grateful to those who have so far donated, and how the clubs have further fundraising events planned. “Supporters have dug deep in these difficult times, so we are very appreciative, but this isn’t where it stops. “There are a few events planned for the future, including some fans games in a couple of months, and some charity events, such as the Leeds anniversary celebrations next month.” The artist tasked with designing the statue is not exactly inexperienced, Roger Andrews, 45, was the man behind the Sir Tasker Watkins statue outside the Millennium Stadium. The nine foot statue, which is situated outside Gate C of the Millennium Stadium, was funded by Cardiff Council at a cost of £25,000, a fraction of the cost of the statue of Fred Keenor. “It may seem a little costly, but there’s nothing fans can do about cost unfortunately, it just means it takes that little longer to raise money”, 19-year-old Jess Dixon told us. “I haven’t actually seen the statue outside the Millennium Stadium, but I’ve donated £10 of my own money, once we’ve raised the cash let’s hope the statue lives up to the hype.”

Students unhappy with living conditions

STUDENTS living in the Cathays area of Cardiff have shown concern after revealing conditions in many of the houses are unsafe to live in. A number of properties in the North Cardiff suburb - which accommodates thousands of the universities students - have failed to meet safety checks over the past year. Some of the issues that have been taken up by students regard living conditions, such as drains being blocked, mould forming inside properties and pipes leaking. In a statement issued to unhappy students, Christopher Davies, Welfare and Communications officer of the National Union of Students (NUS), believes that they are doing all they can to keep students happy. “We monitor closely problems faced by students in private rented accommodation. Conditions such as dampness and mould, along with security, are brought to the attention of our independent Advice and Representation Centre and the council’s findings support this. “We take all complaints by students seriously, and they recognise this”. A Facebook group set up last year entitled ‘Campbell Property: Dissatisfaction with the service’, contains comments left by students showing dissatisfaction towards Campbell Property, a company that supply students across Britain with accommodation. One comment on the Facebook page, which now has 270 members, ends simply with “Never use this company, complete disgrace!!” These are views which are echoed by Mark Barber, 21, who rents a property on Richmond Road, Cathays, who believes that not enough is being done in regards to the poor conditions of the housing, claiming that he is ashamed to even bring people around to the house. Barber, who is studying Computer Animation at Cardiff’s University of Glamorgan, told of just how bad conditions were. “When we moved in it was all tidied up, looking all nice, it seemed great. Within just a few weeks we realised that it was furnished really nicely to hide all the problems.” Barber continued, talking of how the conditions have affected his day-to-day life, “We had no bathroom use for four days because the pipes were leaking into the downstairs flat, tripping all the electrics. I couldn’t even bring people around to the house. “We even had to go to the gym before uni to use their showers, because we didn’t have use to our own.” Kieran Mckay, 20, a fellow housemate of Mark’s, agreed with these views adding: “It’s a bit of a joke when you can’t even use your own bathroom, and a few of the lads down the road couldn’t use their kitchen for a week due to electrical problems.” There was no official available to speak on behalf of Campbell Property, but they claim on their official website that they “strive to provide the best housing facilities for students at the best possible prices.”